Expandable bait keeper for soft fishing lures

ABSTRACT

A fishing tackle bait keeper for a fishing hook includes an anchor and an extension member. The anchor has a sleeve with first and second ends, and plural ribs coupled to the first end. The ribs project in a diverging arrangement from the first end of the sleeve in a direction opposite of the sleeve first end. The ribs each have a free end. The ribs move from a deployed position to a retracted position, wherein when the ribs are in the retracted position, the ribs are oriented with the sleeve to allow insertion of the bait keeper into a bait, and wherein when the ribs are in the deployed position, the ribs extend out from the sleeve to resist being removed from the bait, the ribs are normally in the deployed position. The extension member is coupled to the sleeve and having an attachment portion for coupling with the hook.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fishing lures, and in particular tobait or lure keepers or holders.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A common method of fishing involves the use of artificial lures orbaits. Fishing with artificial lures is convenient and productive forthe angler. Live bait must be kept alive and replenished frequently froma bait shop or other source. Artificial lures do not require the samecare. Many artificial lures are attractive to fish when fished withskill and are productive in catching fish.

One type of artificial lure is made of soft plastic. Soft plastic luresare available in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, such as a worm, acrawfish, a toad, a grub, etc. Typically, soft plastic lures are soldunrigged with hooks. This allows the angler to select the particularhook, such as type and size, to better match the species of fish beingsought.

In rigging a hook with a soft plastic lure, the hook can be tied tofishing line, or the hook can be part of additional fishing tackle, suchas a jig head. In a jig head, a heavy head has an eye for tying tofishing line, and a hook shank extending in a direction opposite to theeye.

The hook is inserted into the soft plastic lure, typically along a bodyof the lure. The shank of the hook can be embedded in the plastic, orthe shank can extend outside of the plastic. The point of the hook canbe free, or in a weedless configuration, the hook point can be locatedin the lure to avoid snagging on weeds and aquatic vegetation.

When the lure is cast and retrieved, a fish will typically strike thelure from behind, which is on the end opposite of the fishing line. Afish strike will pull the lure along the hook shank. Such a lure ismisshapen. Anglers use lures according to their shape and movementthrough the water. Such movement is imparted to the lure duringretrieve, or as the lure falls in the water column. A moving lureprovides action, which action provokes a fish strike. After a lure ismisshapen, the action is adversely affected and the angler mustreconfigure the lure.

To avoid the lure from being pulled along the hook, bait or lurekeepers, or holders, are used. A bait keeper is located at or near thefront end of the hook, where the line is tied. The front end of the lureis attached to the bait keeper. Thus, the front end of the lure is nowanchored in place along the hook. Any fish strikes will not result inthe front end of the lure from being pulled back. The shape of the lure,and its action through the water, is thus preserved.

There are several types of bait keepers available in the prior art. Onecommon type is a helical spring, or screw lock, as illustrated in Hogan,U.S. Patent Application No. 20120023804. A screw lock bait keeperrequires the angler to twist the lure onto the helical spring, anactivity which takes time. If fish are biting, and an angler is forcedto replace a damaged lure, speed in rerigging is highly desired.

Another type of bait keeper is a stiff shaft with barbs, as illustratedin Huppert, U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,672. A variation of the barbed shaft isillustrated in Carver U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,381. These bait keepers do nothold the soft plastic securely. After a few casts and retrieves, a luremay work itself free of the bait keeper, requiring the angler tostraighten the lure and defeat the purpose of the bait keeper.

Thus, it is desired to provide a bait keeper that is fast to rig andholds the bait securely.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a fishing hook with the expandable bait keeperof the present invention, in accordance with a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the bait keeper of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded side view of the bait keeper of FIG. 2, with theanchor in cross-section.

FIG. 4 shows the hook and bait keeper, with a soft fishing lureinstalled onto the bait keeper and the hook.

FIG. 5 shows a detail view of the bait keeper, with the soft fishinglure being installed and pushed onto the bait keeper, showing the baitkeeper in a retracted mode.

FIG. 6 shows a detail view of the hook and bait keeper, with the softfishing lure being pulled back slightly, showing the bait keeper in anexpanded mode.

FIG. 7 shows a top view of the anchor, shown with the extension memberin transverse cross-section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention provides a bait, or lure, keeper, which togetherwith other fishing tackle, forms a castable lure. An example of acastable fishing lure 11 is shown in FIG. 5. The castable lure 11includes a hook 15, the bait keeper 17, and a lure 19.

The hook 15 has an eye 21, a shank 23, a bend 25 and a point 27. Nearthe point is a barb 29. The shank 23 and the bend 25 lie in a plane. Formost hooks, the point 27 will lie in the same plane. Fishing line istied to the eye 21. Hooks 15 come in a variety of styles. The hook shownin FIG. 1 is an offset hook. Other types of hooks, such as EWG (with anoffset shank), straight shank, circle hook, etc., can be used. Also, thehook can be a stand-alone hook, or combined with other tackle, such as ajig head, a spinner, etc. In a jig head, a mass (typically ball shaped)of metal has the hook shank protruding therefrom in one direction andthe eye protruding in another direction.

The bait keeper 17, shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, has an anchor 31 and anextension member 33. The anchor 31 has plural ribs 35 extending from atip 37 in a back-swept manner. The anchor also has a sleeve 39 locatedinside the ribs. The sleeve is open at one end and closed at theopposite, or tip 37, end. A cavity 41 is formed inside the sleeve.

In the preferred embodiment, the tip 37 is pointed so as to have areduced outside diameter than the sleeve. The tip need not be pointed,and can be blunt. However, a pointed tip is easier to insert into a lurethan a blunt tip.

The anchor 31 has plural ribs 35 arranged equidistant around thecircumference of the sleeve 39. In the preferred embodiment, there are8-12 ribs. For example, with 10 ribs, the ribs are spaced about 36degrees apart from each other, to provide equal spacing around thecircumference of the sleeve. Each rib 35 is thinner than the sleeve 39.Each rib extends for some distance from the tip so as to provide adesired radial spread. The ribs are joined together at the tip portion.Each rib 35 extends from the tip portion to a free end 43.

The anchor 31 is molded in one piece out of thermoplastic. Thus, thesleeve 39 and ribs 35 are integral. The ribs are flexible in that theribs can move radially inward, and return to the radial out position.The ribs 35 thus can be moved from a deployed position to a retractedposition. In the deployed position, shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the freeends 43 of the ribs are extended a first radial distance from thesleeve. The ribs are generally straight, extending from the point to thefree ends. The anchor is molded so that the ribs naturally assume thedeployed position, when no force is applied to the ribs. In theretracted position, shown in FIG. 4, which is attained by forcing theribs radially in, the ribs 35 are close to the sleeve and the free ends43 of the ribs are much closer to the sleeve than when in the deployedposition. The anchor 31 resembles an umbrella without a canopy, to theextent that each have ribs that move radially in and out, with the ribsarranged around the circumference of a shaft. The ribs of the anchormove in response to a radially inward force, or the release of thatforce.

The extension member 33 is a stiff wire shaft with two ends. One end hasan eye 45 formed therein. The eye can be open as shown in the drawings,or closed. An open eye allows the bait keeper to be retrofitted orinstalled onto hooks and the associated tackle. The other end 47 is madeso as to allow coupling to the anchor. In the preferred embodiment, theother end 47 has a bent portion, which bent portion is almost 90 degreesto the wire shaft.

To assemble the bait keeper, the other end 47 of the extension member 33is inserted into the sleeve 39 of the anchor 31 to the bottom of thecavity 41. The bent portion 47 bites into the plastic of the sleeve andresists the extension member 33 from being pulled out of the sleeve.Other coupling arrangements can be used such as a threaded coupling.

The lure 19 can be a soft plastic lure. Such a lure typically has a body49 and may have one or more appendages 51 in the form of a tail (for afish-like or worm-like lure), legs (for a lizard-like lure), claws (fora crawfish-like lure), etc. The soft plastic is such that hooks 15 canbe easily inserted into the plastic (the hook is typically inserted intothe body of the lure). As an example of a durometer, the lure may beShore OO of 30. In contrast, the durometer of the anchor 31 is harder.While the lure is described herein as an artificial bait, the lure 19could be a natural bait, such as a minnow, shad, or other bait fish. Thelure could be live bait or dead bait.

To use, the eye 45 of the bait keeper 17 is installed onto the hook eye21. Thus, the anchor 31 is free to move, or pivot, about the hook eye21. The hook 15 is inserted into the lure in the desired manner.Different riggings use different hook sets. For example, the shank ofthe hook may be located outside of the lure, with the hook point locatedin the lure. Such an arrangement is considered to be “weedless” wherethe point of the hook will not snag or catch on weeds or underwaterobstacles. As another example, the shank can be located in the lure,with the hook point exposed outside of the lure.

Generally, the lure 19 has a front end 53 that is located near the hookeye 21. The lure front end is located adjacent to the bait keeper 17.The anchor 31 is then pushed into the front end of the lure 19 (or thelure front end is pushed onto the bait keeper). The material of the lureforces the ribs 35 to retract into the retracted position. When theanchor 31 is fully inserted into the lure 19, the lure front end ismoved away from the hook eye just a short distance. This slight reversalin direction allows the ribs 35 of the anchor to expand back to thedeployed position. The anchor 31 is now fixed in the lure 19. Thecastable lure 11 can be fished.

The anchor 31 is particularly effective in retaining the front end ofthe lure 19 adjacent to the hook eye (or front portion of the hook). Thelure material is located in, and wedged between, the space between theribs 35 and the sleeve 39. The combination of the ribs and the sleeveprovide a relatively large surface for contacting and resisting the lurematerial. However, in addition, the configuration of the ribs and sleeveprovide a wedging arrangement that further increases the ability to holdthe lure in place. The ribs 35 form a wedge with the sleeve 39. The ribs35 also form a wedge with adjacent ribs 35. The ribs originate from acommon point 37 and are splayed apart from one another. Thus, the spacebetween two adjacent ribs looks like a “V”, with the free ends 43 of theribs further apart than the remainder of the ribs. These wedgeconfigurations resist the anchor from being pulled out from the lure.

The bait keeper offers advantages to prior art bait keepers. Unlikehelical type bait keepers, where the lure is twisted or rotated onto thehelical coil, the bait keeper does not require any twisting to install.The lure is merely pushed on. This allows a lure to be quickly andeasily rigged. Other prior art bait keepers use a stiff rod withcircumferential barbs thereon. These bait keepers punch a large holeinto the lure material during installation and weaken the plasticstructure and holding ability of the bait keeper. Unlike the prior art,the ribs 35 of the bait keeper retract to make a smaller hole in thelure material. When deployed, the ribs penetrate into the plasticmaterial, leaving plastic material between the ribs. This makes for astronger attachment.

To change lures, the present lure is removed from the bait keeper. Thisrequires the use of force to pull or disengage the bait keeper from thelure front end. The bait keeper is torn out from the lure front end. Thelure is also removed from the hook. A different lure can be installed.

The foregoing disclosure and showings made in the drawings are merelyillustrative of the principles of this invention and are not to beinterpreted in a limiting sense.

1. A fishing tackle bait keeper for a fishing hook, comprising: a) An anchor, the anchor comprising a sleeve having first and second ends, the anchor comprising plural ribs coupled to the first end of the sleeve, the ribs projecting in a diverging arrangement from the first end of the sleeve in a direction opposite of the sleeve first end, the ribs each having a free end; b) the ribs being flexible and capable of moving from a deployed position to a retracted position, wherein when the ribs are in the retracted position, the ribs are oriented with the sleeve to allow insertion of the bait keeper into a bait, and wherein when the ribs are in the deployed position, the ribs extend out from the sleeve to resist being removed from the bait, the ribs are normally in the deployed position; c) an extension member coupled to the sleeve and having an attachment portion for coupling with the hook.
 2. The fishing tackle bait keeper for a fishing hook of claim 1, wherein the ribs are coupled to the first end of the sleeve in a point.
 3. The fishing tackle bait keeper for a fishing hook of claim 1, wherein each of the ribs diverges from adjacent ribs as the ribs extend from the first end of the sleeve.
 4. The fishing tackle bait keeper for a fishing hook of claim 3, wherein each of the ribs diverges from the sleeve as the ribs extend from the first end of the sleeve.
 5. The fishing tackle bait keeper for a fishing hook of claim 1, wherein each of the ribs diverges from the sleeve as the ribs extend from the first end of the sleeve.
 6. The fishing tackle bait keeper for a fishing hook of claim 1, wherein each of the ribs diverges from the sleeve as the ribs extend from the first end of the sleeve.
 7. A castable fishing lure, comprising: a) A hook having a point and a shank; b) An eye; c) A bait; with at least one of the point or shank located in the bait; d) A bait keeper comprising: i. an anchor, the anchor comprising a sleeve having first and second ends, the anchor comprising plural ribs coupled to the first end of the sleeve, the ribs projecting in a diverging arrangement from the first end of the sleeve in a direction opposite of the sleeve first end, the ribs each having a free end; ii. the ribs being flexible and capable of moving from a deployed position to a retracted position, wherein when the ribs are in the retracted position, the ribs are oriented with the sleeve to allow insertion of the bait keeper into the bait, and wherein when the ribs are in the deployed position, the ribs extend out from the sleeve to resist being removed from the bait, the ribs are normally in the deployed position; iii. an extension member coupled to the sleeve and having an attachment portion coupled to the eye.
 8. The castable fishing lure of claim 7, wherein the ribs are coupled to the first end of the sleeve in a point.
 9. The castable fishing lure of claim 7, wherein each of the ribs diverges from adjacent ribs as the ribs extend from the first end of the sleeve.
 10. The castable fishing lure of claim 9, wherein each of the ribs diverges from the sleeve as the ribs extend from the first end of the sleeve.
 11. The castable fishing lure of claim 7, wherein each of the ribs diverges from the sleeve as the ribs extend from the first end of the sleeve. 